Snapchat Spectacles, glasses with a camera, coming this fall

Snapchat Spectacles, glasses with a camera, coming this fall

The camera built into Snapchat's "Spectacles" lets you shoot video that shows the world from your point of view.
Spectacles.com

Like to view the world through Snapchat-colored glasses? You'll soon be able to do that for real.

The millennial-friendly messaging service plus social network plus video hub is set to release "Spectacles," its own smart glasses. The specs shoot first-person video clips, or Snaps, that you can transfer directly to the Snapchat app.

The company, which has also renamed itself Snap Inc. to reflect its expansion into consumer hardware, touted the new product Saturday by way of a fashion-friendly website called, appropriately enough, Spectacles.com. It also posted a statement on the new site Snap.com.

"We've created one of the smallest wireless video cameras in the world," the post says, "capable of taking a day's worth of Snaps on a single charge, and we integrated it seamlessly into a fun pair of sunglasses."

Both sites say the specs will arrive "soon." In an article published late Friday by The Wall Street Journal, Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel said the glasses would be available in the fall.

The move is the latest in the continuous effort by tech companies to see into the future and stake out new territory as they jostle for customers and try to keep each other at bay.

Social-media juggernaut Facebook failed to acquire Snapchat three years ago and has watched as the upstart and its video Snaps (until now shot only with smartphones) have seized the imagination of the younger crowd. That's one of the reasons -- along with live-streaming products like Twitter's Periscope -- behind Facebook's strong move into video with its Facebook Live feature. Among other things, the Spectacles product adds another element to the video equation.

Snapchat's $130 camera-toting glasses will come in three colors: coral, teal and black.
Spectacles.com

The specs can record up to 10 seconds of video from the wearer's perspective. Each tap of a button mounted on the frames records another clip, while a ring of tiny lights lets people know you're recording. The camera-glasses use a 115-degree-angle lens that resembles the human eye's natural field of view, the Journal said.

"Spectacles connect directly to Snapchat via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and transfer your Memories directly into the app in our brand new circular video format [which] plays full screen on any device, in any orientation," Snap Inc. said on its site.

The glasses, which can be recharged in their case, will come in one size and be available on a limited basis. They'll come in three colors -- black, teal and coral -- and, according to the Journal, will cost $129.99 (roughly £100, AU$170).

"We're going to take a slow approach to rolling them out," Spiegel told the paper. "It's about us figuring out if it fits into people's lives and seeing how they like it."

A video ad on the Spectacles site shows a posse of happy millennials enjoying an endless summer to a Beach Boys-y soundtrack -- all while storing up the good vibes via clips shot with the specs.

"Imagine one of your favorite memories," the Snap.com post reads. "What if you could go back and see that memory the way you experienced it?"

The unveiling of the product confirms speculation that followed the leak of a different ad for the glasses, obtained by Business Insider on Friday from a YouTube tipster. It also follows plenty of scuttlebutt about the project.

In 2014, Snapchat bought Vergence Labs, a startup that makes Google Glass-like eyewear that records video of what the wearer sees. In 2015, Snapchat began building Snapchat Research, a team composed of scientists and software engineers specializing in computer vision and machine learning.

In March, CNET's Sean Hollister reported that Snapchat was recruiting hardware experts for a stealthy new project. The social-media firm has never produced physical gear, unless you count merchandise like beach towels and backpacks. It does, however, already count nearly a dozen wearable-technology vets among its ranks.

In addition, Spiegel had been spotted in public wearing prototypes specs.

On any given day, Snapchat reaches 41 percent of all 18- to 34-year-olds in the United States, according to the company.

That's a lot of young consumers that could sport new specs.

First published, September 23, 5:45 p.m. PT.
Update, 8:15 p.m.: Adds information on Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel's confirmation of Spectacles.
Update, September 24, 9:22 a.m., 12:38 p.m.: Recasts top of story, with material from Snap.com and Spectacles.com websites.

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WhatsApp Status: Everything you need to know about the Snapchat clone

WhatsApp is rolling out a new Status feature to all users. Instead of the text-only status that lets people know whether you're busy or available to chat, the new Status feature uses photos, text, emojis and sketches to show what you're doing. If that sounds familiar, it could be because it appears to be inspired by Snapchat.

And unlike Snapchat and Instagram, WhatsApp can protect your Status updates with end-to-end encryption.

Here's what you need to know about the new feature.

When will I get the Status feature?

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

When your account gets access to Status, you won't have to download or install an app update from the App Store or Play Store -- it'll just show up.

You'll know if you have access to Status on iOS when the Contacts tab gets replaced with a camera icon (see photo above), and the far-left tab reads "Status." Android users will see a new Camera icon to the left of the Chats tab, next to a new Status tab.

Who can see my Status?

WhatsApp includes privacy settings, giving you complete control over who sees your Status. By default, only your contacts can view your Status, but the privacy settings let you change that.

With the Status tab selected on an iPhone, tap on Privacy. Android users, tap the menu button > Status Privacy.

You are given three options:

My Contacts: All of your WhatsApp contacts can view your Status.
My Contacts Except...: Select the people you don't want to show your Status to. This still shares your Status with the rest of your Contact list.
Only Share With..: Select only with the contacts you want to show your Status to.

If you change your privacy settings after uploading a Status, keep in mind the new settings will only impact future updates.

Viewing your friends' Statuses is a lot like Snapchat

If you already use Snapchat Stories or Instagram Stories, then you'll feel right at home with Status. Here are the basics:

To view a Status uploaded by your friend, open the Status tab. A list of friends who've shared a Status will fill in.
Touch the screen to pause a Status, giving you more time to view it, tap to skip through a Status, or swipe left to go to the next person.
Swipe up on a status to reply to the the Status you are currently viewing.

...And so is updating your Status

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

WhatsApp Status includes all the familiar features of Snapchat and Instagram Stories -- stickers, text captions, drawings and more. Here's how to update your Status:

To add a photo or video to your WhatsApp Status, open the app and tap the camera icon. Take a photo or video, or pick one from your camera roll.
You can draw, write and place emojis on the photo. There's also an option to add a caption that will be shown on the bottom of the photo or video as your contacts watch it.
Finally, tap the paper airplane icon. You can either send your Status directly to a friend, as a photo or video within a conversation thread, or you can tap My Status at the top of the list to update your Status.

Videos can go longer than 10 seconds

Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Instead of limiting your video status updates to just 10 seconds (like Snapchat), videos you record and share as a Status can be as long as 45 seconds.

And you can upload GIFs!

In the year 2017, supporting animated images, or GIFs, in an app is a requirement. As such, WhatsApp Status will accept GIFs you've saved to your camera roll or photos app. Select a GIF, trim it down if you need to, and share just as you would a regular, boring, photo or video.

Your Status will remain active for 24 hours, after which it disappears.

Sadly, there doesn't appear to be a way to save a Status to your phone. Whatever you capture and create in WhatsApp is limited to WhatsApp.

Find out who's viewing your Status

A view counter is placed at the bottom of your screen, showing you how many people have watched or looked at your status. You can swipe up on the screen to view a list of contact names who have viewed your Status.

You can get away with screenshots

Unlike Snapchat, WhatsApp does not alert you when a contact takes a screenshot of your Status. In other words, be conscious of exactly what you are sharing to your Status, just because it disappears from your Status after 24 hours doesn't mean no one saved a copy.

Check out our complete guide to Instagram Stories.

Snapchat's Spectacles are now available for purchase online. Here's our review.

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Snapchat Spectacles Review